CN114423322A

CN114423322A - Floor processing machine

Info

Publication number: CN114423322A
Application number: CN202080064647.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 西蒙·威尔特
Original assignee: Numatic International Ltd
Current assignee: Numatic International Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-09
Filing date: 2020-08-07
Publication date: 2022-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-07
Also published as: EP4009846C0; ES2984029T3; EP4009846A1; PL4009846T3; CN114423322B; US20220330776A1; GB2586164A; GB201911417D0; EP4009846B1; WO2021028667A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of floor treatment machines for scrubbing, polishing, sanding or burnishing floors. There is provided a hand propelled floor treating machine including: a base section provided with and supported by at least one rotatable working head for treating a floor; a handle portion for steering or guiding the machine in a working direction of travel and adapted to be pivotable relative to the base portion; a drive means for rotating the working head relative to the base section; a floor engaging wheel arrangement for supporting a handle portion, having a generally transverse axis of rotation so as to allow travel in a working direction, the wheel arrangement being coupled to a base portion by a linkage which allows vertical travel of the base portion and associated working head or heads relative to the wheel arrangement and which provides a transverse constraint to limit or prevent deflection of the base portion relative to the wheel arrangement, wherein a lower region of the handle portion is pivotally connected to the wheel arrangement such that the handle portion can pivot through a generally vertical arc, and wherein a handle pivot lock mechanism is provided in which a predetermined handle portion orientation is employed to allow one or more locking features to act on one or more corresponding constraint features so as to prevent pivotal movement of the handle portion relative to the linkage, whereby rearward tilting of the locked handle portion causes the linkage and base portion to correspondingly rise with the working head, in order to lift them from a floor surface, wherein a squeegee suction device is provided for collecting and entraining liquid lifted from the floor surface on which the machine is travelling, the squeegee suction device being attached to the wheel arrangement via one or more trailing arms, the trailing arms being attached at one end region to the squeegee arrangement and being pivotably attached at an opposite end region to the wheel arrangement for coaxial pivoting about said transverse axis of rotation, the arrangement being such that the trailing arms and the squeegees can be pivoted upwardly or downwardly about the transverse axis as they are towed behind the processing machine.

Description

Floor processing machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of floor treatment machines for scrubbing, polishing, sanding or burnishing floors. In these machines, one or more driven rotatable working heads (such as scrubbing brushes) are provided for agitating the floor surface. In particular, the present invention relates to a hand propelled machine provided with a handle for maneuvering and guiding the machine as it travels over a floor surface.

Background

EP2832277(i-mop GmbH) discloses a hand-propelled wet floor scrubber with two working heads side by side, each comprising a disc-shaped floor brush. Having a trailing squeegee and associated suction drive and reservoir for collecting liquid from the floor surface. The brushes support the weight of the machine and counter-rotate to provide propulsion. The suction drive is arranged on the handle part of the machine together with a cleaning water reservoir for feeding the cleaning liquid dispenser. The handle portion has a dual pivot axis that allows the handle to move up and down as well as side to side. A problem with these machines is that the elongate handle should be conveniently secured vertically with respect to movement along two axes when not in use, without the need to rest on other objects.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention seeks to provide a handle securing mechanism which effectively secures a floor treatment machine handle to prevent the handle from pivoting along one or both axes.

These and other objects are met by the present invention in its various aspects, as will be apparent from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hand propelled floor treating machine including: a base section provided with and supported by at least one rotatable working head for treating a floor; a handle portion for steering or guiding the machine in a working direction of travel and adapted to be pivotable relative to the base portion; a drive means for rotating the working head relative to the base section; a floor engaging wheel arrangement for supporting the handle portion, the wheel arrangement having a generally transverse axis of rotation so as to allow travel in a working direction, the wheel arrangement being coupled to the base portion by a linkage which allows vertical travel of the base portion and associated working head or heads relative to the wheel arrangement and provides a transverse constraint to limit or prevent deflection of the base portion relative to the wheel arrangement.

The linkage may preferably be a strut or arm or chassis or frame.

A lower region of the handle portion is pivotally connected to the wheel arrangement such that the handle portion can pivot through a generally vertical arc, and wherein a handle pivot lock mechanism is provided in which, with a predetermined handle portion orientation, one or more locking features are permitted to act on one or more corresponding restraining features so as to prevent pivotal movement of the handle portion relative to the linkage, whereby rearward tilting of the locked handle portion causes the linkage and the base portion to correspondingly raise with the working head so as to lift them from the floor surface.

A squeegee suction device is provided for collecting and entraining liquid lifted from a floor surface on which the machine is travelling, the squeegee suction device being attached to the wheel arrangement via one or more trailing arms, the trailing arms being attached at one end region to the squeegee arrangement and being pivotally attached at an opposite end region to the wheel arrangement for coaxial pivoting about said transverse axis of rotation, the arrangement being such that the trailing arms and the squeegees can be pivoted upwardly or downwardly about the transverse axis as they are towed behind the machine. Each trailing arm may be pivotally attached to the squeegee assembly such that the squeegee assembly can pivot relative to the trailing arm about a generally transverse axis of rotation. This ensures that the blade can be transported through the gradient without loss of suction.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, a squeegee latch mechanism is provided that is configured to latch the trailing arm in a fixed rotational position relative to the linkage between the body portion and the wheel assembly. This position preferably corresponds to a raised screed orientation in which the screed arrangement is spaced from the floor. Looking another way, as the screed contacts the floor, the front region of the machine is lifted to the point where the linkage angles upward and the working head is raised from the floor.

Latching between the trailing arm and the latch mechanism preferably involves engagement of the pawl with a corresponding restraint feature. The pawl may be provided on the trailing arm. The restraining feature may be provided by a latch member.

Latching may occur when the locked handle portion is sufficiently downwardly inclined to bring the trailing arm into proximity with the latch member such that the pawl engages a seat including a restraining feature. A scraper release lever may be provided, the scraper release lever being adapted to act on the latch member to release the engagement between the latch member and the pawl. The latch member is pivotally secured to a rear end region of the linkage. The latch member is preferably spring biased so as to urge the latch member into an engaged arrangement in which the pawl abuts the restraint feature when sufficient relative movement of the pawl and latch occurs during tilting.

A squeegee release lever may be provided. The scraper release lever may include: an upper free end region that can be operated by foot or hand; and a lower region attached for coaxial pivoting about a transverse axis of rotation of the wheel arrangement. The lower end region of the lever may be configured with a raised cam surface that acts on the latch member to disengage the restraining feature from the pawl when the lever is depressed. The squeegee assembly can then be returned to the working configuration on the floor surface.

The fixed rotational position adopted by the latch strike preferably corresponds to the locking handle being tilted to at least an amount at which the working head is lifted off the floor surface. When the working head is pivotally attached to the linkage, the clearance for the obliquely oriented working head is preferably sufficient to allow the working head to freely rotate from the working orientation to a maintenance or storage orientation in which the underside of the working head faces generally outwardly for access. Outward generally means that the working surface (e.g., brush) is oriented on its side. Conveniently, the working head is provided with one or more legs, feet, wheels or rollers for supporting the working head in this maintenance or storage orientation.

Preferably, there are two laterally spaced apart: a trailing arm, a latch member, a trailing arm pawl, a release lever, and a linkage between the wheel assembly and the base portion.

A handle pivot lock mechanism may be provided in which the predetermined handle portion orientation is adopted to allow one or more locking features to act on one or more corresponding restraining features so as to prevent pivotal movement of the handle portion relative to the base portion. The predetermined handle orientation is preferably a vertical or substantially vertical orientation.

In a predetermined orientation, the locking feature is preferably aligned with the restraining feature so as to allow interengagement. Conversely, when this orientation is not achieved, misalignment can prevent engagement of the features.

The one or more locking features may be one or more detent features and the one or more restraining features are one or more notch features. One of the features may be associated with the base portion or the linkage, and another of the features may be associated with the handle portion.

The pivoting of the handle may (at least) pivot up/down about a transverse axis, and the feature may serve to secure the handle portion against pivoting relative to the transverse axis.

A user operable lock mechanism actuator is preferably provided which must be operated to allow the locking and restraining features to interact with each other. The actuator may then be operated to unlock the feature, thereby releasing the handle portion.

The wheel means may comprise a wheel, roller or ball, preferably a single wheel, roller or ball, arranged at a lower region of the handle portion. The wheel arrangement preferably has a fixed transverse axis of rotation.

In one aspect, the linkage comprises at least one strut, one end region of the strut being provided with a pitch pivot connection to the wheel arrangement, the pitch pivot connection being coaxial with the axis of rotation of the wheel arrangement, and wherein the other end region of the strut is attached to the base portion.

The pillar may be provided with an upper convex surface provided with a notch feature. The detent feature may be connected to a lower region of the handle portion so as to travel in an arc corresponding to the profile of the upper convex surface, the arrangement being such that the detent feature may slide over the convex surface during upward/downward pivoting of the handle portion about the transverse axis.

A lock actuator may be provided to displace or push the detent feature against the surface so that when the detent feature and the recess feature are aligned, the detent feature protrudes into the recess to lock movement of the handle portion.

In a preferred arrangement there are two such posts disposed in a generally parallel arrangement on either side of the wheel arrangement and two corresponding detent features, one for each post. The two detent features may be provided by respective downwardly extending tines of the locking member fork.

The convex surface may be provided at opposite ends thereof with end stops that limit travel of the pawl along the profile of the convex post to limit lateral pivoting of the handle portion to the upper and lower arcuate boundaries.

The other end region of the one or more struts may be attached to the base portion via a pitch pivot connection. The above-described pitch pivot connection allows the base portion to move (travel) vertically relative to the wheel assembly.

The one or more rotatable work heads typically utilize linkages to support the base section on a floor surface, allowing floating vertical movement of the work head relative to the wheel assembly.

The articulated joint allows the handle to pivot side to side about the joint about an axis perpendicular to the transverse axis of the pivot. The left and right pivots of the articulated joint are disposed at positions spaced apart vertically/rearwardly from the lateral pivot.

A left-right pivot locking mechanism is provided in which a traveler associated with the handle portion enters a restraining feature preventing left-right pivoting. In a preferred aspect, the traveler member is a retractable shuttle that is received in a lower end region of the handle portion. The shuttle is movable between a retracted position in which left-right pivoting of the handle portion is permitted, and an extended position in which the distal end of the shuttle is constrained (e.g., between cheek features), which prevents left-right pivoting of the handle portion.

The cheek feature may define a generally vertical housing for receiving a distal end of the shuttle, the shuttle traveling axially relative to the handle portion such that the handle is a dead center of the left and right handle range of motion when the distal end of the shuttle is constrained.

A traveler/shuttle can act on the locking member forks to lock the pivoting of the transverse handle portion when locking left-right pivoting.

The locking member forks and travelers may be connected by a pin and track engagement that provides vertical pin constraint and limited lateral pin freedom corresponding to the pivoting of the left and right handle portions. The track is preferably arcuate.

Movement of the traveler toward the restraint condition can cause the pin to act on the track restraint, and wherein the track is disposed in the locking member fork such that movement of the traveler causes the fork to move into notch engagement.

In this arrangement, the two handle portion pivot axes may be locked simultaneously, conveniently with the handle portions in a generally vertical orientation.

The traveler or shuttle can be spring biased such that when actuated, the traveler/shuttle is urged toward its binding position.

The distal end of the handle portion may be provided with a transversely oriented handle bar for grasping by a user's hand on each side of the bar. The upper end region of the handle portion may be provided with a handle position locking mechanism actuator.

The wheel means may comprise a single or coaxially adjacent pair of wheels, rollers or balls. Preferably, there is a single wheel, roller or ball, most conveniently arranged in the lower region of the handle portion. The wheel arrangement may preferably have a fixed transverse axis of rotation (when placed on the floor). In other words, there are no casters. However, the wheels or rollers may be adapted to tilt into a turn (and thus tilt about an axis coaxial with the direction of travel).

The articulated joint may comprise a yoke accommodating a wheel, roller or ball of the wheel arrangement, the yoke preferably pivoting about a wheel rotation axis. The left and right pivots may be disposed on the upper bridge portion of the yoke. The left and right pivots may comprise a U-section bracket that rotates 90 degrees relative to the yoke and receives the lower end of the handle, with the pivot pin bridging the bracket cheeks.

The base section and associated working head may be arranged in a front region of the machine. The wheel arrangement may be arranged at the rear of the working head and base section with a linkage coupling extending between the wheel arrangement and the base section (preferably, generally in the centre of the machine or in a central region of the base section).

In a preferred aspect of the invention, the machine is a wet scrubbing machine. The wet scrubber may be provided with a cleaning fluid reservoir and a cleaning fluid delivery outlet.

Preferably, forward propulsion of the machine is provided by rotation of the working head. For transversely mounted rollers, the direction of rotation controls forward or backward movement. For the preferred disc-shaped working head rotating about a vertical axis, the advancement can be provided by using two counter-rotating working heads. For a single such working head, the user may slightly roll the handle to slightly roll the working head, which will result in increased traction on one side of the working head, which will cause forward propulsion if that side is the return swivel side.

The drive means may comprise one or more electric motors carried by the base section and coupled to the one or more working heads. In a preferred arrangement, there are two generally disc-shaped working heads, arranged side by side and oriented to rotate about respective vertical axes of rotation. Conveniently, there are two motors, each motor being arranged above its associated working head. Other arrangements are possible, such as a single motor driving both heads via pulleys, chains or a train. For simplicity, it is preferred to use a single motor for each head. The dual motors are configured and/or controlled to counter-rotate the work heads relative to each other to provide a propulsive force. Scrubber brush driven machines are well known in the art. For example, a single brush drive can be caused by tilting the machine (base section) onto the retreating side of a rotating disc-shaped, floor-facing working head.

The machine of the invention is preferably a hand-propelled machine. For ease of handling and guidance, the distal end of the handle portion may be provided with a laterally oriented handle bar for grasping by the hand of a user on each side of the bar. The handle may be provided with a speed control lever and a cleaning fluid dispensing actuator.

Drawings

The following is a description, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of one mode of carrying out the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a three-quarter perspective view from above of a floor scrubber-dryer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a detail of the floor scrubber-dryer of FIG. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of the scrubber-dryer.

Figure 4 is a side view of the lower part of the machine of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a similar side view in which the machine is tilted backwards to raise the work head and associated linkage.

FIG. 6 is a similar view of the engagement with the squeegee latch mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a similar view, but with the machine tilted backwards so that the working head is on the floor and the squeegee assembly is lifted off the floor in its latched position.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the operation of the blade release action by which the latch is disengaged.

Fig. 9 is a similar view with the squeegee assembly returned to the floor surface and the latch ready for re-engagement.

Fig. 10 shows the machine in a storage/maintenance configuration.

Detailed Description

Details of the latch mechanism according to the present invention will be described in detail later with reference to fig. 4 to 10, and are not shown in fig. 1 to 3 for the sake of clarity and simplicity. In FIG. 1, a floor scrubber dryer in accordance with the present invention is shown generally at 10. The machine comprises a handle portion 12 of elongate rectangular cross-section. The handle portion 12 includes a top end region and a bottom end region. The handle 13 is mounted transversely to the top end region of the handle portion 12 via an aperture. A control unit (not shown) is also provided in the tip region. During use, a user walks behind the machine and uses the handlebar 13 to guide the machine onto a floor surface to be cleaned.

The bottom end region of the handle portion 12 is pivotally attached between the upstanding ears of an upstanding, generally U-shaped cross-section mounting bracket 14. The pivot 15 is oriented in a fore-aft direction to enable the handle portion to pivot laterally relative to the bracket 14, as indicated by arrow A, A'. This axis is substantially perpendicular to the length of the handle portion 12 and allows the handle to swing laterally side-to-side about the bottom end of the handle portion.

The bracket 14 has a lower region configured as a fork or yoke 17 formed by two spaced downwardly extending cheeks. A guide wheel 18 is located between the cheeks and is mounted for rotation about an axis (not visible) coaxial with the wheel axle 19, as best shown in figure 2. The wheel has a central hub and a circumferential solid rubber tire. The shaft allows the mounting bracket, fork and handle portions to pivot forward/rearward, up/down through an arc about a transverse axis provided by the shaft.

In this embodiment, the wheel 18 is arranged to be rotatable about a single axis and otherwise fixed in position. However, in other embodiments, the wheels 18 may be configured to lean left or right as a user maneuvers the machine 18 around a floor surface. This may improve handling of machine 10. The same tilting may be applied to other wheel arrangements, such as indicated at V in fig. 2, which may be used as rollers or balls.

As shown in fig. 2, a pair of elongate, forwardly extending, spaced, parallel mounting struts 21 (linkages) are pivotally attached at their rear end regions to opposite respective sides of an axle 19 projecting from either side of the wheel 18. The front end region of each post is attached to a pair of upstanding, spaced apart, generally trapezoidal upstanding brackets 22 formed on a rectangular work base 23. The attachment is via a pivot connection 24 having a transverse axis of pivotal rotation.

Each of the rear end regions of the struts is formed with a generally semicircular (convex) ridge 43, the rim of which defines the upper convex surface 40. The surface has

steps

41 and 42 at its front and rear limits (see fig. 4). The central portion of the surface is formed with a square cutout (or notch) 44.

Within the cradle 14 and between the ears of the cradle is a fork member 45 provided with two spaced-apart depending tines 46 (one visible in figure 4). The lower end of each tine is sized to mate with a notch 44 in the boss of the strut. As shown in fig. 4, the end surface of each prong abuts the upper convex surface of the post boss. When the tines are in the notches, the handle is locked against vertical pivoting. This secures or locks the handle in the vertical orientation.

Returning to fig. 3, the base portion supports two motors side-by-side thereon, a left scrubber motor 25 and a right scrubber motor 26. Left and right working head scrubber brushes 27, 28 are attached to respective depending rotors (not shown) of the electric motor below the base section 23. The left and right scrubbers are mounted to the rotor using conventional means, such as a hub or spider (not shown).

Each

scrubber brush

27, 28 comprises a disc-shaped base portion 29 and an annular array of fibre brushes 37 secured to the underside of the base portion. The scrubber brushes are arranged to be able to rotate in opposite directions and about parallel vertical axes, which may provide forward or backward propulsion.

Pivotally mounted to the rear of the wheel 18 is a squeegee assembly 30. Two parallel trailing arms (one can be considered as 50) are provided, coaxially mounted to the axle 19 at their front ends. This allows the device to follow the surface relief, but also allows it to fold up when not in use. The collector 30 comprises an elongate lenticular scraper collector arm of conventional design having a front blade 51, a rear blade 52 and a tip 53. The blade interior (suction chamber 53) defined between the leading and trailing blades is in fluid communication (via a top port, not shown) with a conventional suction drive (not shown) which may be mounted on the handle portion 12 or base portion 23. This can entrain and suck waste water from the floor that has passed through the scrubber brush. The waste water drawn from the suction chamber is stored in a reservoir (not shown). The suction drive and water tank may be positioned above the scrubber base portion or on the handle portion 12 or at another convenient location on the machine 10.

Trailing arm 50 has a dog leg (dog leg) profile with a region of elbow 55 below pivot 19. The distal end of the trailing arm is attached to the top 53. This attachment may be achieved via a pivot that allows limited rotation of the squeegee assembly relative to the trailing arm to better follow the contour of the floor. At the middle of the trailing arm there is an inwardly (transversely) directed cylindrical pawl or detent 54.

The scraper latch member 56 is pivotally attached at pivot 59 to a lower rear region of the linkage 21. The latch member has an upper surface 57 and a lower region formed with a bore 58. The outer rear edge portion 60 of the latch member has a convex profile. The front edge portion 61 of the latch member is formed with a wedge-shaped profile. Pivot 59 allows the member to move back and forth within the limits provided by the mechanism with which it is engaged.

The trailing edge 62 of the linkage strut 21 has a convex profile. The upper region of the trailing edge portion is formed with a radially directed step 63.

The latch release lever 64 has a lower region attached to the axle 19. The lower region is provided with a rearwardly facing step 65. An arcuate slot 66 is cut in the lever in the region above the pivot. The slot slidably receives a block 67, the block 67 being fixed outwardly from the linkage 21 and providing a stop to limit the fore and aft rotation of the lever relative to the linkage about the pivot 19. The upper end region of the rod tapers to a knob 68 that can be operated with a foot or hand to displace the rod.

The lower region of the linkage 21 is provided with a hole 70. A helical tension spring 71 is hooked between the hole 70 and the hole 58 in the lower end region of the latching member 56. The spring biases the upper region of the latch member outwardly (i.e., rearwardly) about pivot 59.

The operation of the blade latch/unlatch mechanism will be described below. In fig. 5, the handle 12 is shown tilted backwards in the direction of arrow B. Because the lower ends of the locking tines 46 engage the notches 44, tilting of the handle causes the linkage post 21 to rotate with the handle in the direction of arrow R, causing the distal end of the linkage arm to rise. The wheel 18 rocks with the handle. Of course, this tilting also causes the

brushes

28, 29 and working head assembly of the base section 23 to be lifted from the floor out of the working configuration. Meanwhile, when the spring 71 expands, the latch member 56 rotates downward, wherein the convex rear edge portion is pushed into contact with the lock pin. The pins are substantially stationary due to the constraint provided by the squeegee assembly 30 on the floor surface. The pin rotates the latch member upper end inwardly as shown by arrow L in fig. 5.

Turning now to fig. 6, as tilting continues, the latch member upper end passes the pin 54 and springs out behind the pin in the direction of arrow S shown in fig. 6 due to the contraction of the spring 71. Further tilting is prevented by the step 63 of the linkage strut 21 acting on the pin 54. The upper surface 57 of the latch member now constrains the underside of the pin so that the pin is latched between the step 63 and the upper surface 57. These together act as a latch seat for the pin (pawl).

In fig. 7, the handle 12 is inclined rearward in the direction of arrow T toward the vertical direction. The linkage strut 21 rotates back down in the direction of arrow R. The corresponding rotation of the linkage strut 21 causes the step 63 and latch member to rotate with the linkage strut. Thus, the pin 54 rotates upward with the latch seat. The trailing arm is thereby pivoted upwardly about the axle (pivot) 19, which causes the squeegee assembly 30 to rise therewith in the direction of arrow D, as shown. With the tines 46 retracted from the notches 44, the handle can be unlocked from engagement with the linkage post 21 so that the machine can be used when the squeegee assembly is retracted upwardly (e.g., when performing dry floor brushing/polishing and/or wet collection is not necessary).

In this way, simple rearward rotation of the handle automatically latches the squeegee assembly in the retracted orientation, spaced from the floor when the tilt is removed.

The latch release lever may then be used to return the squeegee assembly to an operative, floor contacting configuration, as will now be explained. The lever is manually (or by foot) depressed to displace the lever clockwise as shown in fig. 7. The rearward facing step 65 of the lower region of the lever rotates towards the front edge 61 of the latch member. As the step 65 rotates downward in the direction of arrow C (in fig. 8), it contacts the latch member edge 61.

The camming action between them retracts the upper end region of the latch member against the outward bias of the spring 71 by displacing inwardly in the direction of arrow L in figure 8. The rotation of the lever is limited by the travel of the block 67 relative to the arcuate slot 66. The inward retraction of the upper region of the latch member releases the restraint provided by the upper edge 57. This releases the pin 54 from the latch seat so that the trailing arm and scraper arrangement can be rotated back down to the floor surface by virtue of the bias provided by the spring 71 and the contact between the pin 54 and the convex rear edge portion 60 of the latch member.

As shown in fig. 9, when trailing arm 50 is returned to the operative configuration, the latch member is free to return to the latched position, ready for a new latching cycle, with the lever pivoted back by the return action of cam surface 61 on step 65 urged by spring 71.

The above description relates to mechanisms visible on one side of the scrubber. There are identical corresponding parts on the other side, so it will be appreciated that in the preferred specific arrangement there are two linkage posts, two trailing arms, two latch members and two springs. Typically there will be a single squeegee assembly 30 and handle 12.

The tilting action of the latch also doubles as a means of raising the front end of the machine upwardly to allow for maintenance or replacement of the work head brush or treatment tool, as shown in fig. 10. It can thus be seen that one or more of the heads may be provided with wheels, rollers or legs 74 or feet 75 which may be used to hold and support the head in an elevated orientation. The working head can be rotated clockwise approximately 90 degrees to form a stable maintenance/transport or storage configuration.

In the above description and the related figures, features that are normally present are not shown, but are not essential to the core aspects of the invention. These features include a cleaning solution reservoir and dispenser, a suction drive for the squeegee collector, or a dirty water reservoir fed by the squeegee collector. These features are well known to those skilled in the art and are therefore not described in detail herein. For polishers or polishers and the like, such an assist feature may not be required.

Claims

1. A hand propelled floor treatment machine comprising:

a base section provided with and supported by at least one rotatable working head for treating a floor;

a handle portion for manipulating or guiding the floor treatment machine in a working direction of travel and adapted to be pivotable relative to the base portion;

a drive for rotating the working head relative to the base section;

a floor engaging wheel arrangement for supporting the handle portion, the floor engaging wheel arrangement having a generally transverse axis of rotation so as to allow travel in the working direction, the floor engaging wheel arrangement being connected to the base portion by a linkage that allows the base portion and associated working head or heads to travel vertically relative to the floor engaging wheel arrangement and provides a transverse constraint to limit or prevent deflection of the base portion relative to the floor engaging wheel arrangement,

wherein a lower region of the handle portion is pivotally connected to the floor engaging wheel arrangement such that the handle portion can pivot through a substantially vertical arc, and wherein a handle pivot lock mechanism is provided in which employing a predetermined handle portion orientation allows one or more locking features to act on one or more corresponding restraining features so as to prevent pivotal movement of the handle portion relative to the linkage, whereby rearward tilting of the locked handle portion causes the linkage and base portion to correspondingly raise with the working head so as to lift them from the floor surface,

wherein a squeegee suction device is provided for collecting and entraining liquid lifted from a floor surface on which the floor treatment machine is travelling, the squeegee suction device being attached to the floor-engaging wheel arrangement via one or more trailing arms which are attached at one end region to the squeegee arrangement and are pivotably attached at an opposite end region to the floor-engaging wheel arrangement for coaxial pivoting about the transverse axis of rotation, the arrangement being such that the trailing arms and squeegees can pivot upwardly or downwardly about the transverse axis as they are towed behind the treatment machine.

2. The floor processor of claim 1, wherein a squeegee latch mechanism is provided that is configured to latch the trailing arm in a fixed rotational position relative to the linkage between the main body portion and the floor engaging wheel arrangement, the fixed rotational position corresponding to a raised squeegee orientation, the squeegee arrangement being spaced from the floor in the squeegee orientation.

3. The floor treatment machine of claim 2, wherein latching between the trailing arm and the latch mechanism involves engagement of a pawl with a corresponding restraining feature.

4. The floor treating machine of claim 3, wherein the pawl is disposed on the trailing arm, the restraining feature being provided by a latch member.

5. The floor treatment machine of claim 4, wherein latching occurs when the locked handle portion is sufficiently downwardly inclined to cause the trailing arm to approach the latch member such that the pawl engages a seat including the restraining feature.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein a scraper release lever is provided which is adapted to act on the latch member to release the engagement between the latch member and the pawl.

7. The floor treatment machine of any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the latch member is pivotally secured to a rear end region of the linkage.

8. The floor treatment machine of any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the latch member is spring biased to urge the latch member into an engaged arrangement in which the pawl abuts the restraint feature when sufficient relative movement of the pawl and latch occurs during tilting.

9. The floor treating machine of any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein a squeegee release lever is provided, the squeegee release lever comprising: an upper free end region that can be operated by foot or hand; and a lower region attached for coaxial pivoting about the transverse axis of rotation of the floor-engaging wheel arrangement.

10. The floor treating machine of claim 9, wherein the lower end region of the lever is configured with a raised cam surface that acts on the latch member to disengage the restraining feature from the pawl when the lever is depressed, the squeegee assembly then returning to an operative configuration on the floor surface.

11. The floor treatment machine of any of the preceding claims, wherein the fixed rotational position employed by the latch squeegee arrangement corresponds to at least one amount by which the locked handle is tilted to lift the working head off of the floor surface.

12. The floor treatment machine of claim 11, wherein the working head is pivotally attached to the linkage and the clearance for the working head in the tilted orientation is sufficient to allow the working head to freely rotate from a working orientation to a maintenance or storage orientation in which an underside of the working head faces generally outwardly.

13. The floor treating machine of claim 12, wherein the working head is provided with one or more legs or wheels or rollers for supporting the working head in the maintenance or storage orientation.

14. The floor treatment machine of any of the preceding claims, wherein there are two laterally spaced apart: a trailing arm, a latch member, a trailing arm pawl, a release lever, a linkage between the floor engaging wheel arrangement and the base portion.

15. The floor treatment machine of any preceding claim, wherein each trailing arm is pivotally attached to the squeegee assembly such that the squeegee assembly can pivot relative to the trailing arm about a generally transverse axis of rotation.

16. The floor treatment machine of any of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined handle orientation is a vertical orientation.

17. The floor treating machine of any preceding claim, wherein in a predetermined handle orientation, the locking feature is aligned with the restraining feature so as to allow mutual engagement, and misalignment prevents engagement of the feature when the orientation is not achieved.

18. The floor treating machine of any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more locking features are one or more detent features, the one or more restraining features are one or more notch features, one of the features is associated with the base portion or linkage, and another of the features is associated with the handle portion.

19. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the floor engaging wheel means comprises a wheel, roller or ball, preferably a single wheel, roller or ball, provided at a lower region of the handle portion.

20. The floor treatment machine of any preceding claim, wherein the floor engaging wheel arrangement has a fixed transverse axis of rotation.

21. A machine according to any preceding claim wherein the linkage comprises at least one strut, one end region of which is provided with a pitch pivot connection to the floor-engaging wheel arrangement, which is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the floor-engaging wheel arrangement, and wherein the other end region of the strut is attached to the base portion.

22. The floor treatment machine of claim 18, wherein the at least one post or each of the posts is provided with an upper convex surface provided with the notch feature and the detent feature is connected to a lower region of the handle portion so as to travel in an arc corresponding to the contour of the upper convex surface, the arrangement being such that the detent feature can slide over the convex surface during upward/downward pivoting of the handle portion about the transverse axis.

23. The floor treating machine of claim 22, wherein a lock actuator urges the detent feature against the surface so that when the detent feature and notch feature are aligned, the detent feature protrudes into the notch to lock movement of the handle portion.

24. The floor treatment machine of any preceding claim, wherein a distal end of the handle portion is provided with a laterally oriented handle bar for grasping by a user's hand on each side of the bar.

25. The floor treatment machine of any preceding claim, wherein an upper end region of the handle portion is provided with a handle position locking mechanism actuator.